Tag: Maccabi Tel Aviv
Alberman: “We’re putting all of our focus on Sunday’s Match”
Just before the club puts it into high gear for the final eight matches of the season to see who will be crowned League Champions, the Maccabi Tel Aviv players participated in the “Drive Safely” Program in conjunction with KIA at the Rishon Le’Zion Karting Track where they met with 40 Yellow-and-Blue fans at a safe driving presentation.
“אלברמן וזיו ביום “בטוחים בדרכים
On Sunday, Maccabi Tel Aviv will take on Hapoel Raanana on Matchday 29 of the WINNER League at Bloomfield Stadium. The club’s defensive midfielder, Gal Alberman spoke about the upcoming match against the Sharon side and how he feels coming back from the International break: “You have to remember that it was a short break, only one week. I think it was good for the players who aren’t playing on National teams as it gave them some time off after a season with many matches. I believe it did us some good.”
On Sunday’s opponent:
“We are at a point where the Championship can be won or lost each and every week. Our goal is to win every remaining game and we’re putting all of our focus on Sunday’s match. We defeated them and they beat us but we are not looking at getting revenge or anything like that.”
Having experience in the stretch run:
“We will only know if our experience helped us at the end of the campaign. We’re relaxed right now, we believe in our ability and are playing with a lot of confidence, so there’s no reason to think why it won’t continue. We feel that we can win the title and that’s what we are trying to accomplish.”
How the club is feeling about the loss of Johan Cruyff:
“It was a big blow to our club. I’m really not qualified to tell you who Johan Cruyff was but what I can say is that he is worthy of every adjective and description that’s been used over the last few days. Johan may not have been so connected to Maccabi but Jordi certainly is. The players had the chance to meet Johan and we saw him at Kiryat Shalom many times. It’s been tough on everyone since we found out he had passed away.”
Here I am: Meet Avi Rikan
Avi Rikan joined Maccabi Tel Aviv in time to play in the pair of games against Viktoria Plzen during Champions League qualifying. Little did he know that just a bit over a month later he would be playing in the group stages of the illustrious competition and taking to the pitch in England against the Premier League Champs, Chelsea. It’s been a whirlwind for one of Maccabi’s news stars as Rikan talks about coming back to play in Israel, the Champions league and more:
הנה אני בא: ת.ז עם אבי ריקן
Q: Why did you decide to come back and play in Israel with Maccabi Tel Aviv?
“I had to make a decision as to where I would play and where I could also continue to advance and improve. I received offers both in Switzerland and other places in Europe. You know a player has to weigh his options and also look at what type of place can help him as well. I made my choice and I don’t regret it.”
Q: How did you feel when you went onto the pitch at Stamford Bridge to play Chelsea?
“Against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge I entered some sort of bubble. I tried to disconnect from all of the excitement and the experience in order to perform the best that I could on the pitch, but it’s hard to disconnect from such an amazing atmosphere, the Champions League anthem and the crowd. If Mourinho came over and asked us if this game was in Tel Aviv because of the terrific supporters this explains exactly what kind of feeling it was to be on the grandest stage. When I got home and I looked back at the whole experience, I realized how powerful it was.”
Q: You were able to quickly become part of the team?
I’ve been hearing that from the first day I arrived here. That’s just my character. When I got to Zurich I was given the captain’s armband after only two months with the club. Not the first but the second captain, they gave me the responsibility very quickly and I enjoy it, it’s fun for me. I think that it’s also fun for the guys.”
Short questions & answers:
Q: Tell us something that we don’t know about you?
“There’s not a lot. Unlike many players I don’t have any superstitions.”
Q: Jerusalem or Tel Aviv?
“As someone from Jerusalem, when you say Tel Aviv it’s pretty serious, but I’ve softened 
up a bit since I’ve gotten here. Now I live in Rishon Le’Zion so it’s somewhere in the middle.”
Q: The white, blue or yellow Maccabi Jersey?
“I think the yellow. Maccabi’s yellow, isn’t it? There all nice and I have all three at home. But I think for Maccabi, it’s got to be the yellow.”
Q: Defensive back or midfielder?
“Midfielder. I like to play as a midfielder. I like playing offense as I’m better on the attack than defensively. But if I’m needed to play as a defensive back, I’m there.”
Q: Which three friends would you invite to your Sukkah?
“If I had the option I would take all of them and with God’s help build a big enough Sukkah for everyone. But if I had to choose, then I’d first invite Eden Ben Basat who always puts a smile on my face. Barak Itzhaki, because he’s someone I really like even from when we played together with Beitar Jerusalem. The third would have to be winger Tal Ben Chaim”.
Micha: “This game is super important for us”
Maccabi Tel Aviv will visit Maccabi Haifa at a jam packed Sammy Ofer Stadium Saturday night 20:05 on Matchday Five of Ligat Winner. Yellow-and-Blue midfielder Dor Micha knows that the upcoming game is crucial for the club:
דור מיכה לקראת מכבי חיפה
Are you ready to face Haifa:
“Of course we’re ready for the upcoming matches just as we were against Raanana but it just didn’t work out. We haven’t won a league match in a few weeks so we’re coming into this match with the mindset that this game is super important for us.”
You’ll be playing at Sammy Ofer Stadium against Haifa and then at “home” against Kyiv:
“We’ve played there many times already so we are used to the stadium and the pitch. Right now we are preparing just for the Haifa match which is very important and then we will look ahead to the next game against Dynamo Kyiv.”
Maccabi Haifa has struggled this year:
“The year just started and this is still Maccabi Haifa. It’s going to be a tough match.”
You’ve lost two matches in a row:
“We aren’t playing well right now, so we have to come into this match and we’ve got to give it all.”
Zahavi: “We know where we need to improve”
Maccabi Tel Aviv will take on Maccabi Haifa on Matchday Five of Ligat Winner this Saturday night at Sammy Ofer Stadium. Following the loss to Raanana, Captain Eran Zahavi spoke about the upcoming match against The Greens, the start of the season and more:
On the beginning of the season:
“We opened up the season in good shape. We made it up to the Champions League and there are things to fix up in all the competitions. But to categorize Chelsea and the Toto Cup together is just not right. We don’t like to lose but the results so far go have been in our favor. But again, we will keep working to improve and go forward.”
About the upcoming match:
“They are a good team even though they’ve had trouble at the beginning of the year. Haifa will be playing at home in a full stadium and they are coming into the match hungry after the last game. We were disappointed losing to Raanana as we come to every game to win. We will work on the points that we need to especially in the box. We may have needed more players in the box and we know where we need to improve.”
The system Zahavi feels most comfortable in:
“I’m comfortable with any style of play. Even with a 4-3-3 we need more players in the box in order to score goals, we know what we need to do and we’ll keep working on it in the upcoming matches. It would be great if other players would score, Barak and Gal scored the past few matches and we didn’t win those games.”
“We must concentrate more and bring more energy”
Maccabi Tel Aviv will face Maccabi Haifa away at Sammy Ofer Stadium in Haifa on Matchday Five, Saturday night 20:05 as Head Coach Slavisa Jokanovic looks to get his side back on the winning track. Jokanovic: “We must concentrate more and bring more energy”
What do expect from Maccabi Haifa after seeing them play against Beer Sheva this week:
“They are an organized team and they tried their best in Beer Sheva under difficult circumstances going a man down at the start of the match. For us we must find the points in the game where we can change the situation and it’s a chance to play good football and get back on the right foot. As coach it’s my responsibility to make sure that we are ready and try to focus the team on the next game and in this case it’s Maccabi Haifa which is one of the classic matches in Israel football. This match may be a turning point to regain our confidence. It’s a very important game for me.”
What went wrong last match against Raanana:
“We have to remember that before the game begins nothing is over and done. We arrived thinking it may be an easy game and in the end we lost. We didn’t attack with enough players and they had a couple of chances and they scored. We played the two halves with different systems and tried to change things up and each system had their strengths and weaknesses. In the Israeli league we must have spend more time attacking in the box and last match we played outside of it.”
How do you see the club at this point of the year:
“We must concentrate more and bring more energy and as always the next game for us is the most important. We must be ready for all of the competitions. Each game is a different story and right now we’ve played 6-7 more matches than other teams. We are still at the beginning of the season and we must to continue to improve and be hungry for each and every game and in every competition. In each competition the side may be different team but everyone in the squad must understand that this is Maccabi and we are always under pressure to win the match, especially in the Israeli league. Right now, two wins, one draw and a loss is not good enough and it’s not what the supporters want to see from us.”
On his candidness after the Raanana match:
“I spoke with my players after the Raanana game and I say what I think to them and to the media and I try to be honest. I have my reasons when I speak about the team and I never point out individual players but as a collective, as a team.”
What is the status of Nosa Igiebor:
“Nosa Igiebor has a knee problem and had an issue the past few games and he’s not 100%. We are checking him out and we are trying to find a solution to his injury and he is doing this outside of Tel Aviv. Shlomi Azulay is also unavailable for the match.”
Dasa: “I’ve got to tip my hat to all of the fans”
After falling to Hapoel Raanana 2:1 at Bloomfield Stadium, Maccabi Tel Aviv’s right back Eli Dasa discussed the match that was, looked forward to the coming week and also gave credit to the wonderful Maccabi supporters:
ורמוט ודסה בתגובות מהמשחק מול הפועל רעננה
How do you look back at this match:
“It’s a big disappointment. We didn’t expect this to happen especially at home. These were points for the taking after the Champions League match, but we won’t dwell on the loss for too long. It’s a long season and everything will be ok.”
You played 90 minutes and saw that Maccabi controlled the match:
“Most of the matches at Bloomfield are played in our favor but Raanana closed us down very well. They worked very hard and they deserve the credit for the win.”
There are two big games coming up:
“We come to win every game, but it will be a tough game away at Sammy Ofer against Maccabi Haifa who are off to a poor start. We can’t look back at this loss as we have to go forward and prepare for the Haifa match and then the Champions League game.”
Nevertheless the loss tonight was still a tough pill to swallow:
“We are professionals and have won the championship the past few years, so for sure we are taking this loss hard. We take every point that we can get seriously as these will count later on in the year in April and May. Tomorrow we have to lift our heads and continue on.”
Were you still thinking about Chelsea:
“No, not at all, that definitely wasn’t the problem. We made the switch and you can’t say that the players didn’t want to win. They gave it their all. Sometimes there are games like this where it just doesn’t go your way. If we had scored first the result could have been totally different but there are also games like what we had against Raanana.”
The over 10,000 fans that came out today kept cheering well after the match was over:
“No question, I want to give back to the supporters. They are great. Even when I was with Beitar and I saw what the fans were like against Hibernians of Malta, they have been terrific all year long and we want to make them happy. I’ve got to tip my hat to all of the fans for cheering us on when we win and when we lose.”
“We’ll forget about Chelsea and come prepared for Raanana”
After his “Baptism by fire” against Chelsea in a 4:0 loss on Matchday One of the UEFA Champions League Group Stages, left back Omri Ben Harush will attempt to help the Yellow-and-Blue get back to their winning ways in the Ligat Winner as Maccabi hosts Hapoel Raanana on Matchday Four.
“The transition between one competition to the other is very stark,” explained Ben Harush prior to this evening’s match. “It’s not easy to go from a match in one of the world’s top tournaments to our league. But as they say we must make the switch and come prepared for out game against Raanana. We always have to come back to the regular league so we’re used to it and we have to remember that’s how we got to where we are today.”
The impact of the Chelsea loss:
“I don’t think that the loss to Chelsea will have any impact on our play. We need to take it one match at a time and the coaching staff and players are doing what they need to forget about Chelsea and come prepared for Raanana.”
About their opponent Raanana:
“Raanana is a good team and it won’t be an easy game. They play well on the pitch and you can see exactly that in their last game against Beer Sheva even though they loss. 
We have to be ready on a professional level so we can control the pace as needed.”
On changing the style played on Wednesday to this match:
“In league play we are more in control and have possession of the ball for longer periods of time so we will have more chances, but we have to make sure that we change up the way we played Wednesday so we will be prepared. These matches will be very different in style and it’s part of our training to be ready for this both mentally and on a professional level. This is a test for any Israeli club that will play in a European competition.”
Cruyff: “We are trying to gain valuable experience”
Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Sporting Director Jordi Cruyff summed up the the first match for the Yellow-and-Blue in the Champions League after falling to Chelsea 4:0. at Stamford Bridge. Cruyff isn’t disappointed with the result and doesn’t believe it will effect the team morale as they face Hapoel Raanana in Israeli league play.
ג’ורדי קרויף: “זאת הייתה קבלת פנים מהרמה הגבוהה באירופה”.
Disappointed:
“I’m not sure. I don’t take it that way, there’s a difference in the level. I may be disappointed as to the way we gave up some of the goals and try not give up a goal from a free kick. It’s been many years since we had an opponent at this level and I hope we can learn from it.”
We’re some of the players not up to their usual standards of play:
“Maybe. The opponent also has an influence on the result at this level. When you give half a meter you’re going to be too late. They have very fast and athletic players and we haven’t had to compete at this level for a long time. I’m not pessimistic for the following matches. The most important thing is to show character and strength in the league for the next game and in the local league. Hopefully we can learn from this for the next European game, the level here is obvious.”
The new ‘keeper Rajkovic made a crucial mistake:
“I haven’t seen the replay on TV and in all honesty we lost 4:0 and I’ve seen a lot of mistakes today. I don’t think we should pick out just one mistake. We’re not going to win the Champions League and we had two 19-year olds on the pitch and we are trying to gain valuable experience.”
How would you judge some of the players:
“Some players reached a good level and showed that they could compete physically and I saw a number of good things. We played here against the English Premier League champion and we shouldn’t lose what the reality is and keep our eyes open as to the team’s we are playing.”
Will the match effect their play in the league:
“I hope not and I expect not as the players have shown a lot of character over the past few years. But I expect the team to come back in strong way. This should not effect us because this is the big boys competition.”
How would sum up the total experience against Chelsea:
“I think it’s not a happy welcome but they showed us what the Champions League is all about and it’s up to us to learn from it and try to learn for the next games. We have to take this well and not say that this was a disaster. Realistically it may be much easier to compete in the Europa League but the fact is we wanted to test ourselves at the highest levels which means we will play better opponents.
Chelsea have an amazing squad and an amazing coach. They also played at home with a point to prove and had to get the bad feeling from the league out of their system and we were a good candidate for them.”
Are you looking forward for the next Champions League match against Dynamo Kyiv:
“Right now I’m looking forward to Raanana on the weekend and this is where we have to compete. The priority for the club now that we are playing in the Champions League is number one with no doubt to compete for the league.”
How is owner Mitch Goldhar after this experience:
“I think he’s ok and I don’t see disappointment in him. At Maccabi we are trying to be realistic.”
Peretz: “We’re getting ready for the next challenge”
Maccabi Tel Aviv arrived back in Israel last night (Thursday) from England after their first match in the group stages of the Champions League where they came up short against Chelsea, the Premier League Champion. Even though the club landed just last night this morning they are back to work preparing for the Ligat Winner Matchday Four matchup against Hapoel Raanana at Bloomfield Stadium. Dor Peretz who played in last night’s game coming in as a second half substitute, talked about the experience of playing at Stamford Bridge, his relationship with Coach Jokanovic and the transition between playing in Europe and Israel.
“As of today this was the greatest experience for me as a footballer. It’s an amazing feeling to be able to play at such an terrific stadium against such a big club. I was really excited and happy. Putting the result aside it was a great learning experience. There’s something special in the air at Stamford Bridge that creates an incredible atmosphere.”
On his new role on the pitch against Chelsea and his relationship with the coach:
“I’m not so familiar with being a right back but I did the best that I could. I see this is as a vote of confidence from the coach and I’m very happy about it. I have the same relationship like all of the other players with the coach but I’m really excited that he has faith in me and I feel very appreciated.”
On transitioning from Europe back to the domestic league:
“We have a lot of respect for Chelsea but the match is over and we have to move on. Today we are already training and preparing for the match on Sunday against Hapoel Raanana. That was also the case after the last match we played, we’re happy when it’s over and enjoy the moment but the following day you’re already thinking about the next game and we’re getting ready for the next challenge. It’s important for us to begin a new winning streak.”
